Merchandise Updates!

Merchandise Updates!

In the last month we have seen a collection of new merchandise come out. So lets take a look! 

Take 'n' Play

On the 13th of March SteamTeam posted the picture below revealing Connor and Caitlin's Take 'n' Play models! By this point we had already seen Stephen, so it was exciting to see these two!

They will be on shelves by Autumn, so that is something to look forward too! 

That is not all for Take 'n' Play however. They have released, for the first time in the UK - Surprise eggs.

Yes you can now purchase Take 'n' Play eggs, with a range of Characters: Thomas, Percy, Stanley, Salty Scruff, Sir Tophman's car Diesel, Mavis and Toby.

Wooden Railway

There have been a couple of developments for wooden railway, the most exciting being the release, or should we say re-release of Flying Scotsman. Josh Louvier has uploaded a fantastic video saying more than we could on the beautifully crafted and detailed locomotive. 

With thanks to Josh for allowing us to use his video. 

Another exciting development is the Wooden Railway yearbook. This gave us an insight into what the King of the Railway engines are going to look like, but then Josh managed to get hold of a copy of a catalogue designed specifically for retailers. This showed some engines which are clearly prototypes. Take note of Connor, looking more like Spencer than Caitlin, and Stephen having two designs! Stephens coaches look really impressive! What do you guys think? 

                                       With thanks to Josh for allowing us to use his video. 

Bachmann

Yes Bachmann Duck has become a topic for conversation yet again! WholeSale have estimated that Duck should be released by the 10th of July, however the key word here is estimated. We have had estimates of arrival that have been shattered before, so don't be devastated if this deadline is pushed back yet again! 

On a more positive note related to Duck: it has been confirmed that our old Great Western will be returning in Series 17. This is fantastic news for fans everywhere, we have been requesting his return for years and now it is a reality! Duck's last appearance (four in the whole series!) was some five years ago in series twelve. If you take a look through Duck's appearances on the Thomas Wikia, all you see is "cameo", "cameo", "does not speak" "does not speak" etc. etc. His last proper role as a regular character was back in series 3 (1991) twenty-two years ago!

King of the Railway Updates

King of the Railway Updates

As expected King of the Railway will be screened in Vue cinemas in the United Kingdom before its DVD release. This was confirmed by the Thomas and Friends UK Facebook page after a user inquired about the release date. 

"King of the Railway will be screening across UK VUE cinemas late August and will be released on DVD in September!"

Although an exact date wasn't released, it is expected to be the weekend of Saturday 24th August, a date for your diary!

Now, have you ever seen the Last of the Summer Wine? You may be wondering why we are asking you such an odd question, well the answer is simple; a cast member of the aforementioned program will be joining the voice cast of King of the Railway. 

The BBC program Last of the Summer Wine ran from 1973 until 2010 and aired almost 300 episodes, it was officially declared the longest running television sitcom. Mike Grady joined the program in 1986, In this year Thomas the Tank Engine was in his second series, narrated by Ringo Starr) as Barry Wilkinson and appeared in over 160 episodes, until the shows inevitable demise in 2010.   

Last of the Summer Wine

Mike Grady 

Mike's online CV

King of the Railway

Nitrogen Reveals Models

Nitrogen Reveals Models

It was a shame when HiT made the difficult decision to move away from the model making legacy and make the leap to CGI, changing the course of history for Thomas & Friends. The models that a generation of fans had grown up with, and grown to adore; were carted off to Drayton Manor to spend their retirement, static in a glass prison. 

Nitrogen Studios had the difficult task of bringing Thomas to life in a whole new form to a dubious generation of older fans whilst still having plenty of appeal for the younger target audience. As we know now, they achieved this leaving little to be asked for. Despite how much many fans may have not liked these changes Nitrogen integrated them in the best way possible. Starting with just CGI faces upon models before the final full conversion. The rest is history. 

Nitrogen revealed that an even greater number of models than those in Thomas Land  reside at their Vancouver based studios. Engines such as Molly, Rheneas, Spencer, Duck, Murdoch and others are currently stored in cabinets for display purposes only. Arc Productions are taking over animation from Nitrogen and they have a lot to live up to.

Anyway, take a look at the video here and post your comments. Excuse the cheesy music!